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| Former Leaf Returns To Hockey to Coach Queen’s |
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By Mike Beasley /
For Alyn McCauley, his decision to retire from the National Hockey League was made easy. The difficult part is whether he wants to stay around the game or not. Three knee surgeries and a severe concussion while playing ten NHL seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs, San Jose Sharks and Los Angeles Kings forced McCauley to play his last professional game in January 2007.
The Gananoque, Ont.-native and his family moved backed home from Los Angeles last summer with McCauley unsure of what his next move would be.
He contemplated a comeback in hockey. But the 31-year-old realized his surgically repaired left knee could not withstand the demands of an NHL schedule and started preparing for life after professional sports.
“I didn’t wake up yesterday and think, I can’t play hockey any more,” McCauley told Canadian Press. “It’s probably been three years in the making. I can’t change the fact that my knee is arthritic and not up to the rigours of the NHL anymore.”
But McCauley may not be completely finished with his days around a rink and is testing the coaching field this year as an assistant with the CIS Queen’s University Golden Gaels in Kingston, Ont.
It was a tossup for the 1997 CHL Player of the Year last summer, return to school or give part-time coaching a try? McCauley had always considered becoming an accountant after his hockey career but wasn’t quite sure if he was ready to make the four-year commitment to earn a ?university degree.
“I thought maybe I do want to try coaching instead of putting four years into getting a degree.” McCauley told CP. “I’ve spent more than four years in hockey, I have 25, 27 years of experience, so I might as well give that a shot first.”
McCauley will work with head coach and childhood friend, Brett Gibson. Both played minor hockey in Gananoque together which helped facilitate McCauley’s decision to join the Queen’s staff.
Another consideration in is his decision was that the Gaels regular season schedule is only 28 games and Queen’s is coming off its best performance in 25 years after claiming the OUA Mid-East Division in 2007/08.
So far McCauley has enjoyed the experience and fully understands what coaches go through on a regular basis.
“I have to say that overall it’s been excellent,” McCauley said while in the nation’s capital, as his Junior team, the Ottawa 67’s honoured him in a pre-game ceremony on Nov. 14.
“At times, it’s been challenging and frustrating but that’s coaching,” he said. It’s very different from being a player. My job is to work with the forwards and give my thoughts and analysis as they come off the ice.” |
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